This invention relates to a device for continuously shaping confectionery into individual portions of regular shape from a strand of paste-form product.
There are various ways of shaping ice-cream confectionery into generally rounded portions a mouthful in size.
The installation according to U.S. Pat. No. 4,530,214, for example, comprises an endless chain of elements bearing cell moulds which are filled with ice cream. The chain passes through a freezing tunnel, and on leaving the tunnel, the moulds are heated and then tilt under the effect of a cam in the form of a rail, pivoting about a hinge on the element, after which the portions are demoulded by air blown in through the bottom of the cells. An installation such as this enables ice-cream bonbons to be produced at a high rate, but is attended by disadvantages. The stainless steel moulds represent a considerable investment, and if it is desired to change the shape of the articles, the entire set of moulds has to be changed. The moulds deteriorate rapidly on account of the mechanical and thermal stressing which they undergo. Finally, they are difficult to clean to the extent that the installation involves risks from the point of view of hygiene.
In another installation described for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,674,968, ice cream balls are made by filling a spherical mould of which the lower hemisphere opens by pivoting into two parts while a scraper arc detaches the ball from the upper hemisphere. The adjustment of an installation such as this to obtain portions of constant shape is extremely involved. In addition, the production rate is necessarily limited.
There are devices which shape meat or potato balls at a high rate using diaphragms. The problem with these known devices is that they are not suitable for ice-cream confectionery.
The control means are close to the supply of paste-form product which induces thermal influences incompatible with the production of uniformly shaped portions.
The friction of the diaphragms on the ice-cream confectionery heats the confectionery and produces drops which fall onto the support. This is not compatible with hygienic production.
Finally, when there are several coupled diaphragms, the construction is such that the diaphragms are subjected to different accelerations during opening and closing. For aerated ice-cream confectionery, which is compressible in character, this means an undesirable variability in shape during its continuous supply under constant pressure. The same problem does not arise in the case of meat or potato balls which are relatively incompressible.
GB-A 2,172,541 relates to a device for shaping ice-cream confectionery on a support comprising a shaping head supplied with paste-form product, a distributor for the strand of paste-form product, a diaphragm for cutting the strand into portions and synchronized control means for the distributor and the diaphragm so that individual spherical portions are produced from the strand. According to this patent application, the problem of the compressibility of the ice-cream confectionery is solved by coupling the rotational reciprocating movement of the diaphragm with a pressure variator inside the shaping chamber. A device such as this allows only a limited production rate. In addition, it ignores the hygiene problems associated with the formation of drops.